Purple Yellow Country Game

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Activist | Artistic

The activity is a simulation game where participants are divided into two groups, the purple group and the yellow group symbolising two countries. The purple country is flooded due to the climate crisis, and the purple people have to flee in fear of drowning. The yellow country notices what happened to the purple country, they live in a capitalist wealthy society. As they are very hardworking and busy with their lives, they have not yet agreed on any solutions.

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Target group

Young people aged 15-30

No. of pax

Min. 4 - max. 30 people – 2 groups

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Environment

A room or a space big enough for all the participants

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Time needed

60-80 mins

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Materials

none

Objective/aim

The aim of the activity is to give participants the possibility to put themselves in the shoes of migrants, decision makers, oppressors and oppressed people. The activity allows participants to test their solution ideas since they can try them out within their country group

Step by step instructions

Step 1

Divide the participants into two groups and explain that they symbolise two countries. Each country chooses a colour they identify with (e.g. purple, yellow etc.) and a signature food of their country. Explain that one country gets flooded and the other one country is safe and wealthy.

Step 2

Both groups are asked about what they are going to do about this and how they react in their individual situation.

Step 3

Participants are invited to try out their different ideas of reacting to the issue by voicing their ideas out loud and discussing them, by talking to people of the other country, by moving there and supporting their needs etc.

Step 4

The game leader moderates the theatrical improvisation of the different ideas and discusses the possible consequences of the improvisations.

Step 5

Individual game outcomes
Maybe people have drowned, maybe people have fled to the other country, maybe democratic decisions took so long that all people died, maybe some activists did not wait for democratic decisions and went over to help, maybe they built a bridge between those two countries, maybe they have found some short-term emergency and/or long term solutions that work for one or both countries.

Step 6

Reflection
• How was it for you?
• What did you see?
• How do you feel about your own activism, political decision-making, and responsibilities?

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Tips for the trainer

Ask questions about the countries in the beginning (food, clothing, colour etc.).This helps that the participants really identify with their country. Affirm the ideas that the participants voice by repeating them loudly. The exercise requires compassion so as not to trigger any of the participants – the trainer could ask if any of the participants has traumatic experiences with floods, other catastrophes.

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Alternative

Purple-Yellow-Game as a forum theatre Intervention in a public space (5 mins plus 40 mins interventions with strangers – needs at least one rehearsal before and a good preparation for the moderator)

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Comment

The exercise was developed for young activists to try out their ideas concerning climate change and migration. When we played the game, some participants decided that they would rather drown instead of fleeing and that decision-making took so long, that political and financial aid from the wealthy state came too late. Regardless, some other activists chose immediate help over longer democratic processes. The game might have individual ideas/outcomes. This also varies between different groups, their characteristics and group dynamics.

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